The Hidden Charms of Sifnos Greece Is a Well-Kept Secret

The Cyclades are what everyone thinks of when you think of the Greek islands – beautiful beaches and whitewashed houses where the blue sky meets the even bluer sea. Make no mistake though the most popular of the Cyclades – Mykonos, Santorini and Ios – can get very crowded during the summer. If you want to avoid the crowds but still have a picture-perfect Greek island holiday, check out the Western Cyclades. These islands are easily accessible from the mainland by ferry. For example, the high-speed ferry runs regularly from Piraeus (the main port of Athens) and takes only 3 hours to Sifnos.

Sifnos is the perfect Cyclades island for luxury-loving foodies and families.

The Western Cyclades

The four islands in the Western Cyclades are Kea, Kythnos, Serifos and Sifnos. Of these islands, Sifnos is the largest and most popular. Yet, when I say popular we are not talking the Santorini levels of tourism where the island gets saturated in the summer with tourists. In fact, Sifnos doesn’t even have an airport (hence our honeymoon at an airport hotel would have never occurred!). The only way to reach this island is by ferry.

The port of Kamares in Sifnos where the ferry boats and catamarans land from Piraeus.

Why Sifnos Greece Is Perfect

When you get tired of lazing in the sunshine and feel motivated to work off all that excellent food, Sifnos is known for its hiking trails. Most of the trails are classified as either easy or moderate. Many of the trails are marked as kid-friendly and less than 5 kilometres long.

A traditional Greek taverna in Sifnos Greece

For a luxury vacation in Greece, look no further than the Verina group of hotels. Small and stylish the Verina hotels has three options to pick from – the clifftop Verina Astra with 7 suites, Verina Suites which has apartments by the beach and Verina Villas perfect for groups of families and friends.

The Greek luxury villa rentals at Verina Villas is located near the picture perfect village of Vathi. The sheltered harbour means a lot of boats moor here. Vathi has a sheltered sand beach with shallow water perfect for children (and a couple of tavernas for the parents to enjoy!). Some people think that Vathi is one of the best beach villages in all of Greece! Now that is a reputation worth checking out!

Sifnos is a small, quiet island perfect for enjoying the famous Greek sunshine. If you want crowds and parties, look elsewhere. If like us, you enjoy good food and quality time spent relaxing with family, then Sifnos is the perfect Greek island for you.

The beautiful island of Sifnos is known for its great beaches, food, and hiking trails.

If you feel like checking out the other islands, there are ferry connections from Sifnos to the other islands such as Santorini. I’m betting, however, that you will fall in love with Sifnos and don’t want to leave.

7 thoughts on “The Hidden Charms of Sifnos Greece Is a Well-Kept Secret”

Thanks for sharing this post … Really an awesome one. pictures are stunning.. The views of the places are so mesmerizing. Places from nowhere are the places visited by people from every where.. isn’t it?

What a great article! Sifnos is DEFINITELY a hidden gem for non-Greeks. It is one of the lower key islands (compared to Mykonos and Santorini). I have been 5 times with my family so far! I agree with you that Vathi is the best beach, the only issue is that it is far away (that’s why is a well kept secret!).
I would also like to add to your article that the food in Sifnos is amazing… one of the most famous Greek chefs was born there (the older generation loves him). Try revithada (oven baked chickpeas with Greek spices baked in a ceramic dish for hours) and mastelo (oven baked lamb or goat). There is a great place in Apollonia (the main town) which has amazing loukoumades (Gree style donuts). Also, Sifnos is famous for its pottery!
If you need any recommendations of what to do if you go there (or any other places in Greece), feel free to contact me. My company is an expert in family vacation in Greece. Thanks for sharing Shobha!Katerina from KidsLoveGreece.com recently posted…5 Reasons why autumn is a great season to visit Greece